Harsh Truths

xxx

"Hello there, Captain Syndulla!" Grim waved animatedly on The Ghost's cockpit projector. Dominique and Dayve sprang in behind him, laughing giddily to see a friendly face. "I see you all made it away safely!"

"Grim! Thank goodness you're all alright!" Hera touched her lightening heart. She can breathe again. "Everybody made it out okay?"

"Well..." Grim sank mournfully, stepping aside so Hera would see the candles being lit before shrines, "Most of us." Hera was filled with sorrow, bowing her head. This will forever be on her head. More so on Katerina's if she blames herself. "Do not look so sad. Loss is part of the cycle of life." Grim recited like a sermone. He folded a hand behind his back, touching the other one to his weighty heart. "For every loss, a new life is brought into this world. And we who suffer this loss are granted a chance to either grow stronger, or let the loss pull them down."

Grim, Dominique, Dayve, and the others Hera could see are still in mourning for their comrades. They are also reigniting the fire within them to go on. It expalins where Katerina finds the will to press forward. "When we hadn't heard from you we began to fear the worst."

"I find your lack of faith disturbing." Grim chuckled. Hera relaxed in her seat, feeling everything going right for a change.

A little over an hour had passed since Hera and her crew escaped from the Aurora Sector and the Imperial Army ambush. Grim, Dominique, Katerina, and the other Mechanics really came through for The Ghost Crew. Guess it's true what they say. Just because it's not a blaster or lightsaber, never doubt someone who can throw a punch. It's a good bunch of people they've gotten the pleasure to meet. Brave, loyal, and always ready to protect what's theirs. They'd make excellent rebels. But Hera won't push her luck and ask them to join. Not after costing them a second location to set up shop. Nevertheless, Grim and the others have proven they can survive anywhere. Katerina did say Kendril trained them to find a place to hang their wrenches at a moment's notice. Hera called upon every spirit available to help them in their search for a place to call home away from home.

"My lack of faith is secretly me worrying for friends." Hera explained playfully. "Especially since Katerina's been sick to her stomach waiting to hear from you guys."

"Where is Katerina anyway?"

"She's tending to Zeb. He took a nasty stab to the side. He'll live."

"Katerina and Zeb alone and playing doctor." Grim chortled teasingly, cheeks lightly tinting red. "Those two make this too easy."

"They've actually made it a lot easier since we last saw you." Hera winked impishly. She crossed her fingers with an adoring giggle.

Grim gasped, covering his mouth in utter shock. He leaned in urgently, begging her to confirm what he knew would be from the getgo. "Do you mean they..." Hera nodded approvingly. "YES! I KNEW IT! OH, I'M SO HAPPY FOR THEM!" Grim pumped his fists, dancing around like a girl who was elected prom queen. If Hera didn't know better she'd think he was the one that scored a good looking Lasat. "This was months in the making. Please give them both my best."

"I will." Hera promised.

"And I wish all the better for you, the crew, and the Jedi." Grim bowed. "You are the most miraculous and honorable people I've had the privilege of meeting. Never lose sight of that." Hera nodded, promising to stay true.

"Hera." Sabine knocked on her way in. "Fulcrum's here."

"On my way." Sabine nodded and left. "Work is never done. Gotta go, Grim. Anything you'd like me to relay to Riina?"

"Yes please." He replied almost solemnly. Hera felt uneasy with his grim demeanor. "Tell her the past is done. She can look others in the eye now."

Hera titled her head, her mouth parting to ask what he meant. Grim winked and was already off the call. "Wonder what that was supposed to mean." She shrugged it off. Might be a code Katerina only knew. But she won't lie. The part about the past being done has her curious. Katerina has a very shrouded past. Whatever it is, Hera doesn't have room to chastise. Everyone on her ship has a sordid past they don't want to disclose. And it doesn't make her trust them any less.

xxx

A needle and thread inserted into fur and flesh. "OW! HEY! EASY!" Zeb jumped two feet off Katerina's bed, nearly scaring her off her stool. The shirtless Lasat was writhing. The stitching isn't as bad as the cleaner that was still bubbling in his knife wound. The cloth and different peroxides needed to make sure he didn't get an infection killed him. The needles and threads being soaked in it didn't help. He swears, by the Lasat Gods, that he will get Kallus back for this one day. The harder he tried to sit still, the worse Katerina's stitching felt. He had to force himself to keep his hands behind his head so he wouldn't accidentally bat her upside the head. She thanked him for his resilience.

"Sorry." She mumbled with spare Lasat grade needles in her mouth. "I'm better with welding pens than needles." She truly was sorry. Unfortunately for him she's the only one can trust not to make fun of him for what a baby he was being. Not that it wasn't warranted. Just being near these ridiculous thick, curved needles was coaxing her to pass out. With Zeb's body type - skin toughness, large frame, and more animalistic movements - the usual needle and thread for humans and humanoids would break milliseconds after being applied. "On the bright side…" She looped the last notch of her X stitch and tied it off, biting the rest of the surprisingly thick thread off, "I'm done."

"Thank the spirits!" Zeb collapsed into himself. "Don't know how much more of that I could take."

"Baby!" She teased.

"Doctor Butcher." He teased right back.

Katerina blushed with a giggle. "You're adorable when you complain."

Zeb's large palm smoothed to her cheek. "And you cute with thread in your hair." Katerina's blush deepened by the string that somehow made it into her hair. "Look on the bright side, you have the makings of a great nurse one day."

"Good. That means I can slap you with the bill! 10,000 credits."

"Mmm…" Zeb poked his chin up, pretending to think about that. "How about dinner and going to that parade on Baelin this weekend?"

"Deal." Katerina leaned in close, her lips meeting Zeb's in a tender kiss. They stared dreamily with glossy eyes, a warm fuzziness making them feel all giddy. It actually took a lot of will for them not to fly into a fit of laughs. They were just...so happy. At long last...they were together. Faults, pasts, and grievances all put aside for this one moment. And hopefully many more afterward.

"They're so cute!"

"Aren't they?"

"AAHH!" Katerina and Zeb jumped from their skin. Katerina hit the floor with a thud. Sabine and Hera stood in the doorway, laughing hysterically. "YOU TWO?!" Zeb screamed bright red.

"YOU TWO ARE JERKS!" Katerina was just as red and just as frustrated. "How long have you been there?!"

"Oh you know…" Sabine held her stomach, laughing too hard to speak.

"The talk about how cute you find one another." Hera snorted behind a hand. "And then that magnificent kiss." Zeb and Katerina were fuming, both grabbing whatever was on hand for them to throw. "Easy now! I don't want to be bruised before handing Tseebo over to Fulcrum."

"He's here?" Zeb cocked a brow. That was faster than he thought. Not long after their by the teeth win, Hera arranged new coordinates with Fulcrum to deliver Tseebo and hsi implant to her mysterious contact. Zeb thought they at least had another hour.

"Just got here, actually." Hera confirmed. "And there's more. I received word from Kanan and Ezra. They're on their way home now." Katerina threw her head back, releasing all her air and deflating there on the floor. She knew he'd be alright. She just knew it. "I also got word from Grim and the others. They're doing just fine."

"Oh thank heaven!" Katerina was bowing to whoever was watching over them. Not that anyone would need to watch over them...if they weren't affiliated with Katerina. All the trouble she's brought to their door. It's not fair. "Thanks, Hera."

"Of course." Hera turned to go make the handoff.

"I don't suppose we can meet Fulcrum this time?!" Sabine stressed, really wanting to know them and behind the distorted voice.

"Nope. You all stay in the ship." Hera forbade.

"THAT'S WHAT WE DID LAST TIME!" Zeb howled from bed.

"I wasn't there last time, so I'm not too upset." Katerina put on her most fake angel grin. Zeb swooped a pillow to her face and buried her on the bed. Sabine, while humored by her levity, was irked that - once again - Hera and Fulcrum don't trust them enough.

xxx

An envoy ship aligned with The Ghost, linking up with the airlock. Hera retrieved Tseebo, slowly escorting him for the tunnels. "You seem to be doing better." She commented. A lot better than when they first found him. That implant made his mind a huge jumble.

"Tseebo's mind is...clearer now." He assured. But there are still some clogs that need to be removed. "But it is difficult. There's so much information inside Tseebo" He held his sore head.

"Fulcrum's people will help you with that, and keep you safe." Hera promised him.

"Will...Tseebo see Ezra Bridger again?"

"I hope so. Someday." When that day is? She doesn't want to guess. It could be next week. It could be years. But, yes, one day he will be able to see Ezra again. "Is there something you'd like me to tell him?"

"Oh…" His stomach churned, "Tseebo failed Bridgers. Did not watch over their son." And that will haunt him forever. "But...Tseebo tried to make it right by accessing Imperial files."

"And that intel will be invaluable!"

"No! Intel unimportant! AN ACCIDENT!" He spat back frustrated. "Tseebo accessed file on Ezra Bridger's parents! Tseebo knows...Birdgers fate!" He added forbodingly.

"Then tell me, Tseebo!" Hera pleaded. "Tell me, and I'll tell Ezra!"

"No. Not just Ezra Bridger…" Tseebo declined partially. "Also...Jedi Kanan Jarrus."

"Kanan? W-why?" She stammered, taken aback.

"That engineer with you...Katerina Dume." Hera gasped stunned. He knows something about Katerina. Tseebo shook his head, moaning guiltily. "Another accident from DNA sample Tseebo took! Did not mean to see...but could not stop!"

"What about her?" Hera shook Tseebo, loosening his cryptic lips. Inside, something was telling her not to press the issue. But she had to know. She...no. Kanan has the right to know. "What did you learn about Katerina?!"

Tseebo started shaking, shuffling in close to Hera. "There…" He squeaked in a whisper, "There is something you must know. Something that...will change the fate of Jedi Kanan Jarrus and Mechanic Katerina Dume."

xxx

A couple hours later, Hera intercepted The Phantom and wasted not a single second to dock it in its port. Kanan and Ezra climbed into their home, warmed by the welcoming party waiting for them at the bottom of the ladder. They looked a little worse for wear. Nothing a little rest won't cure.

"Welcome back, you two!" Sabine praised.

"You outsmarted them again." Zeb snorted. "Good job, boss."

"You made it!" Hera cheered.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Kanan playfully countered.

"Never." Katerina cupped her hands to her chest. She threw her arms around him, both squeezing each other in a tight hug. "Welcome back, Big brother." Hera felt a jolt in her chest, her stomach tying itself into knots. She just...stared in a daze at Katerina...then looked to Kanan. Her eyes just went back and forth to them. She saw their lips moving, but didn't hear a word as she...made a connection. I...see it. The reception with Kanan was halted by a distraught Ezra meandering by. Katerina felt her heart sink. "Hey, Ez." He raised his brow in acknowledgement, but wasn't feeling chatty. He had this...darkness over him. Something bad happened out there.

"Ezra!" Hera approached excited. "There's something I have to tell-"

Kanan got between her and the shuddering boy, "Ezra needs a little time to himself right now!" He urged. Ezra was able to hide away in the ship, leaving everyone worried. Kanan sighed heavily, pulling Katerina and Hera aside. "We need to talk." He took them to his room, locking the door behind them. As anyone expected, The Inquisitor and his forced cornered Ezra and Kanan. He had the numbers, and the skills, and was pushing them back ten feet for every foot they gained. Ezra learned to accept that he was scared, even was able to forgive Tseebo for an incident that wasn't in his control. And in the end, Ezra was able to connect with the creatures on the base, getting them to help beat back the Stormtroopers. But what Kanan revealed next terrified Katerina.

"What?! Ezra drew on the Darkside?!" She screamed.

"Yeah, he did." Kanan replied, lowering his head in failure.

"The Darkside?" Hera hadn't heard of this yet.

"A malefic phenomena opposite of the Jedi's force." Katerina said like she were a text-archive. "The Darkside is fueled by fear, triggered by anger, and unleashed by hate. The darkside has corrupted even the most pure of Jedi, and twisted their minds until they become a menace of the shadows." Hera was torn by doubt in the tale, and reluctant to believe that Ezra was able to drawn on something so dark. Yes, Katerina know it sounds like a story to make sure good little Jedi Younglings behave themselves. But, by the disturbance between her and Kanan, Hera was forced to rethink her skepticism. "In that event, Jedi become what is known as a Sith. And usually, once a Jedi becomes a sith, escaping the thralls of the darkside is near impossible." Hera felt ice fill her blood, glancing to Kanan.

"There's no need to worry." Kanan promised her. "Ezra passed out so he wasn't in the Darkside's grip for very long." Katerina and Hera exhaled relieved. "And it scared him so he won't be doing it again." For a while. Never isn't exactly a term Jedi like to rely on. "But I will be keeping an eye on him." Kanan went on to tell them that, when he tapped into the darkside, his mass of emotions corrupted a larger version of the fyrnocks. Their mother, most likely. He was able to sick it on The Inquisitor, giving them time to escape.

"How can Ezra even do something like that?" Hera pressed on her skull. "He's just a kid."

"It's usually Younglings who tap into the Darkside first." Katerina explained. "Unknowingly and unintentionally due to their inexperience in the ways of the force."

That being said - Hera brought a frown to Kanan, "Why wasn't this ever taught to Ezra before this?"

"My hope was, by never speaking of it, Ezra wouldn't come close to it."

"That was my hope too." Katerina admitted, equally guilty. She groaned at their idiocy. "You and I should have seen this coming." They should have known better. No matter how hard one tries to hiding something, it comes to the surface eventually. "And for Ezra to control a creature that large...he must really hate his birthday."

"Or maybe I pushed him too hard." Kanan blamed himself. "I don't know what to do from here." Hera was at a loss as well. What are you supposed to do when a youngling touches something so evil, and it left torn by the experience? How do you help them grow from that sort of experience?

"There's one thing I can think of." Katerina stroked her chin. It was a long shot, but it has to be done. "Do you think Ezra is ready for his own…" She tapped on his lightsaber.

Kanan froze momentarily. He took up his saber, closing his fingers to the surprisingly intimidating weapons. The responsibility and burden born from a deceptively tiny weapon was great. Too great for just anyone to wield. "Maybe. I don't know. I'd have to meditate." He srhank. "I'm not good at this master thing."

"Ken wasn't good at the father thing either." She rested a hand to his shoulder. "But, in the end, he was the best father I could ask for." She cupped Kanan's cheek. "You're the best master and friend Ezra can ask for. Whatever you decide, he and I will trust you."

"Thanks, Riina. Really." Katerina bobbed her head. That's why she's there. Kanan put hand hand to hers, grateful ever more that he has her.

Hera found herself staring at Katerina once again. A long, hard stare as a girl she's been calling friend for months. A sister in arms. Watching her and Kanan interact so lovingly, it usually warms her heart. Now...she's upset. Maybe scared. To anyone else, they're just the lovey-dovey, doting brother and sister who occasionally get on each other's nerves. They laugh, cry, share inside jokes, talk about their childhood, and even speak in a language no one else knows. True Rebel Twins. This time, in Hera's eyes, it was different. Very different. Kanan, how do you not see it? She kept asking herself. How have you not seen it? Then again...she never would have noticed either. No one has.

"Kanan, can I talk to you for a minute? It won't take long."

"Alright. Talk to you later?" He checked with Katerina.

"Sure. I'll see how Ezra's doing." She left the room. A silence enveloped the room.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

xxx

Sabine was coming out of the rear gun room, a rather pleased smile on her face. Katerina met up with her, spying Ezra past the doorway. "How is he?"

"As good as can be expected. I'm just sad he didn't ask Tseebo about his parents."

"Try not to worry. He'll get a chance one day." Of that she was certain. Sabine and Katerina went to the door to check on the boy one more time. Katerina had a long speech lined up for him, but she didn't want to ruin his reminiscing in a photograph. A very cute baby Ezra in the arms of...a human man, and Mirialan woman. "Huh…" Katerina chimed pesnively, tilting her head. "Those two…"

"Something wrong?" Sabine asked.

I'm not sure. But..." Katerina closed the door, guiding Sabine away from the door, "Those two in the picture. Those are Ezra's parents?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"They look…really familiar." Sabine's eyes widened surprised.

xxx

Kanan's lightsaber left his numbing hands, his knees knocking together in a desperate attempt to sustain him. In his face was the white, paling terror that only The Inquisitor can draw from him. His Aquamarine eyes welling with heart shattered tears. "What? What did you say?" He staggered away from a crestfallen Hera. Her head bowed, she hugged herself, regretting that she had to open her mouth. She fought to repeat herself, but couldn't. Not if it meant hurting him. Kanan snarled through gritted teeth, darting forward. "Hera!" He gripped her shoulders, shaking the truth out of her. "You can't be serious! There must be some sort of mistake! Tseebo, he...he has to be wrong!" He jerked his hands, clawing at his tearing scalp.

Hera inhaled some sort of will, mustering the courage to look him in the eye. "Sabine confirms that Tseebo's implant gives him accurate information. A 0.001% chance of error!" If Kanan won't listen to reason, he will be forced to heed logic. "That being said, Kanan…" She chose her words very carefully. She needed to say what he wouldn't be able to rebuke. She moved in with pleading eyes, wanting him to see it, "It can't be a coincidence she was found in the Kamino System!" Kanan was blown back, bracing himself to the wall. His heart was pounding. He was losing breath fast. It can't be true. None of it can be true. He won't believe it. HE CAN'T! "Tseebo tested a blood sample from her wound. He got it on accident! And he's not wrong." She stressed, adding the last part tenderly for his waning heart.

"He has to be…" Kanan clamped a hand to his eyes, unable to hold back the tears, "He...he has...she can't be...please…" He sobbed.

Hera supported him, seating him to his bed. "I saw the results. Your DNA and hers matches up too perfectly. Not even parents...or siblings have such a perfect sequence."

"But I...it can't be true. Not her." He can't...bring himself to...it can't be. Hera snuggled up to him, sharing in his sadness. Her own tears began to fall. Regret shredded her that she ever pressed Tseebo. Some secrets are better left unsaid. She will never tell. Not anyone. For Kanan's sake, no one will ever learn the truth. Not even Katerina. "Katerina…" Kanan swallowed a large lump. He hyperventilated, his head buzzing. "My baby sister...is a clone?"

xxx

"IT'S ABOUT FRICKIN' TIME!" Ezra exploded like a fan meeting his idol. He was even prancing around like one too. That gleam in his eyes at Zeb and Katerina was brighter than a supernova. "I mean, seriously, could you two possibly take any longer?! THIS IS SO COOL!" Zeb and Katerina weren't sure if they should be embarrassed or be busting their guts laughing. Actually, Zeb was rubbing the back of his neck, mortified by how mushy and gushy Ezra was acting. Seriously, you'd think he's never seen a couple before. Sabine, Hera, and Kanan sure weren't holding their laughs back. Mostly because they agreed with the bouncing Padawan. Zeb and Katerina have been so stubborn about admitting their feelings for one another for months. Those cute, tender moments they'd share when they think they're alone. How they'd flirt shamelessly during missions. The heated arguments they had reminded everyone of a married couple. There's also not forgetting their solo trips here and there. Hera knew they were sharing some sort of secrets from their past, telling one another things they'd never tell Kanan or the rest of them. The clincher was how they avoided one another due to an unspoken tension that suddenly rose between them. Those half glances and shy turn aways. Could those two have been anymore obvious? AND ZEB KISSING HER? Come on! How was that not the deal sealer? One thing is certain, Ezra was brought out of his funk from his run in with The Inquisitor on that old Clone Base. Which was good. "I'm happy for you guys! I mean, BEYOND happy!"

"Ha-Ha! Thanks, Ezra!" Katerina replied with red cheeks. Zeb groaned irritably, really wanting Ezra and the others to let it die already. Ever since they've acknowledged their feelings, none of their crew would leave them alone. Sabine and Ezra are ruthless with their teasing, and Kanan and Hera won't stop blushing like proud parents. Katerina pat him on his broad shoulder, reassuring him with a tender smile that this would pass soon. Things like this usually do.

"I know I'm happy for you guys." Kanan announced, shoving Ezra behind him. He was going to speak up. Kanan reached behind and clamped a hand to his mouth. He glanced between the pair, a very proud smile stretching his cheeks. "I'd wish nothing but happiness for the both of you," He leaned in with a sly grin, hands on his hips, "But I can see you both are already beaming like suns." Katerina, a little bashful, hugged to Zeb's large arm, gazing up at him with glossy eyes. She caused Zeb's face to turn a little red. He shyly turned, rubbing at his head. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Big Brother." Katerina went up and kissed his cheek. Kanan's muscles spasmed from a vicious jolt, his skin burning. This unbelievable rage curdled his insides. GET AWAY MONSTER! He screamed in his head. When she pulled away, he was thankful she turned. He didn't want her to see how sickened he was. Or how guilty he felt for what just popped into his head. There was a tension in his arm. Looking down, he was horrified by the tight fist.

"Yeah, Kanan…" Zeb trailed off, his mouth a little dry, "Thanks."

"Of course. But I would like to talk to you for a second, Zeb. If I can." Kanan gestured to his room. There was this hue on his brow. Hera noticed it.

"Uh...o-okay…" Zeb's insides became knots, and his heart was pounding in his chest. This can't be good! He groaned. He trudged past the Jedi, heading into his room. Kanan rested a hand to Katerina's shoulder, excusing himself. Katerina went with Ezra and Sabine into the kitchen for a quick snack.

Once they were alone, Hera stopped Kanan by grasping his upper arm. Kanan looked at her concerned. She glanced side to side, making sure not even Chopper was listening. The little droid made it clear he didn't care about the mush going on in the ship and was hiding outside. Still, he can detect a conversation from ants 3,000 miles away. "You're not...going to tell him...are you?" She shakily asked.

"Tell him what?" Kanan arched his brow in genuine curiosity.

"That Katerina is a…" The last word dried to ash in her mouth. She can't bring herself to say it. Mostly because to say it would be to acknowledge the truth. And she can't wrap her head around it.

Kanan's stomach plummeted when he realized what she wanted to say. She feared Kanan was going to tell Zeb that...that...Katerina...Katerina's a...clone. The acid that fills his throat and mouth just saying it in his head made him want to throw his head into space. "No. I said we wouldn't speak a word of this." He swore strongly, clasping hands to her shoulders. He rubbed them up and down, soothing the trouble gnawing at Hera. Though he's the one with the enormous weight bearing down on his shoulders. His baby sister isn't...she's… "Zeb doesn't need to know...until Katerina does."

"And when do you plan to tell her?" Hera responded ominously, already knowing the answer. Kanan slid his hands from her shoulders, dropping his head with a resigned sigh. If he can avoid it, he'd never tell her. Especially when both he and Katerina hate the clones for what they did. And Kanan...Kanan was feeling...he touched where Katerina kissed him. That reaction he had. He genuinely wanted to strike her. And it kills him. All the more reason he won't have this conversation with her. To tell her what he knows...would destroy their world. Worse than what the clones did years ago. "It's ultimately up to you, Kanan." Hera stood to the side. "Just remember, she isn't THEM. She's Riina."

"You don't have to tell me that." Kanan reassured her gleefully, sauntering into the room.

His door closed, prompting a fidgeting Hera to ball herself up. "Why does it feel like I do?"

xxx

Zeb was too uncomfortable to sit down. He couldn't relax in this enclosed space with Kanan. Not with that stoic expression on his face. He was pacing back and forth, wearing a hole in the ground, muttering under his breath on the different ways this was going to go wrong...or blow up in his face. "Zeb, please, you're making me anxious!" Kanan laughed apprehensively. Zeb was treating this like he was going to be skinned. He took to his knees, gesturing to a spot for Zeb to sit and relax. The Lasat balanced to a palm, plopping to his hind. He was sitting, but he was far from relaxed. "Now, Zeb-"

"I'm sorry, Kanan!" Zeb blurted from the blue.

"Sorry for what?!" Kanan's head spun.

"For not asking! For lying to you! For hitting on your sister!" The list goes on.

"Whoa, whoa, Zeb! What are you talking about?!" He fanned his hands, cooling that fire blazing from Zeb's unusual guilty confession. "Lying, not asking - I'm not here because I'm mad. I'm here to thank you!" Zeb's face dropped off the bone. He felt really stupid now. He seriously wishes his weight would kill the floor under him and send him plummeting into Hell somewhere. Anything would be better than sitting here in his idiocy. "Zeb, you weren't hitting on Katerina. No way. You were much more respectful than that." It was more like he was using his obnoxious behavior in a new flirting method, and playing on her own obnoxiousness and pride. They both had their fun with it - that was the important thing. "And how do you think you lied to me?" Kanan needed to know. This was disconcerting.

"I...I don't know." He exasperated, impatient with himself. He dropped his arms into his lap, lurching forward in self loathing. "I guess it was because I...I was trying not to fall for her...and you just got her back and I didn't want to get in the way…" He was juggling with a lost cause of a reason. He can't really explain why he felt like he lied to Kanan. Just that it felt wrong to be falling for his kid sister and playing it off like he wasn't. "I guess I wouldn't call it lying. More like I...I wanted to play both of us for fools that nothing was there. And when she and were giving each other the cold shoulder…"

"What was that about anyway?" Kanan had to know. It was so sudden; those two fighting.

Zeb's breath hitched in his throat. He cursed himself for that slip. In recent weeks, Zeb was learning more and more about Katerina's very sordid past, and just how ugly it really was. And not all of that ugliness was due to The Empire. She was keeping secrets. Dark secrets, and she has her life kept hidden from the universe. Zeb found it distasteful that she was carrying so much baggage, parading herself as a saint, know full well she wasn't. Later, he was given a heavy dose of reality. In the strictest of confidence, Grim explained to Zeb what Katerina is enduring and why it is imperative she isn't found. This made Zeb relax...and fall even harder for her. "It - uh - was...something she said to me, and it set me off and I said something to her…" He trailed off in his half baked lie, praying Kanan connects the fake dots and doesn't sense he's lying through his teeth.

"Ah. I get it." Kanan bobbed his head. Loud and clear. He and Hera have those moments. Here's what he was still confused on, "But why did you think you needed to ask me before going out with Riina?"

"Out of respect for both you and her. To be honest, it racked more nerves more to ask you than just going for it." And that was as honest as he was going to get. Because that's exactly what happened. "I wanted to be sure of my feelings for her. And...since I wasn't...I didn't want to ask you. I just went for it."

"And I'm grateful that you did." Kanan assured him passionately with a hand to his chest. "Believe me, Katerina appreciates it to. She hated it when people came to me seeking permission to do things with her." Kanan quickly recovered under the harsh stare of Zeb's glare. A warning that there better not be any other men in her life besides what he knows about. He would remind Zeb that, as her big brother, the masters tended to double check with him in regards to her training and who she could train with. They even tattled on her to him when she wasn't behaving. The vice versa came later when Katerina proved to be the more mature and responsible of the two. Good times. Very good times. "Katerina is capable of making up her own mind. And I know she's made up her mind about you. She's in love with you. And you make her happy. That's all I care about." Zeb chuckled elatedly. She isn't the only one who happy in love. "Which brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about." And that pit in his stomach was back. Kanan inched in closer, the expression on his face growing more serious. Zeb swallowed a dry lump. "This is more than just a new juncture, Zeb. This step you're taking...I need to know you'll walk side by side with Katerina no matter what." And he needs to know no matter what! As in...if he learned...she was a clone...he won't run from her. He won't hate her. Like...like Kanan's starting to-NO! NO, you don't hate her!

"Of course I will!" Zeb erupted. Nothing he learns about or experiences with Katerina will ever chase him away. "You have my word, Kanan," He crossed a fist to his chest, sitting upright, "I will stand by Katerina til my dying breath."

"Good, good. I don't doubt it." Kanan slapped a hand to his broad shoulder, a smile on his face. "Thanks, Brother." Didn't seem wrong to call him that.

Zeb proudly reciprocated the hand to his shoulder. "You're welcome, Brother." That felt good to say. Kanan has been his brother in arms for years. Acknowledging it now as Katerina is left in his care solidified the relationship. "Was there anything else? You seemed like you had more on your mind."

"Nah, nothing." He lied flawlessly. "That's it."

"Alright. See you around." Zeb stood up, gave Kanan a bow, and excused himself. Kanan watched him leave, then sank miserably. He pinched the bridge of his nose, growling under his breath. Didn't have anything left to say? He has tons he wants to say. But it kills his insides to admit it. "She can't be a clone. She can't! It...it doesn't make any sense!" A clone of him? How?! How could the Kaminoans even get his DNA to make a clone of him? He's never even been to Kami...no. "Wait…" He subconsciously touched at a thin scar on his scalp, "That field trip…"

xxx

Hera and Chopper kept the ship on course, watching the scanners like hawks. He team, Kanan, and Ezra barely escaped by the skin on their teeth and with a few bruises on their hides. The empty vacuum of space surrounding them didn't mean they were safe. The Empire could literally appear from hyperspace at any given second from any given direction. Hera won't be taken by surprise anymore this week. The Empire can come at her, and she'll be ready to kick their asses back to where they dock at. In the meantime, she was trying not to get caught up in the hearty laughter coming from the kitchen. Sabine, Katerina, and Ezra sounded like they were having a party.

xxx

"NO WAY!" Ezra fell back in the booth, holding his sides laughing. "He said that?!" He and Sabine were falling over. Katerina was red as a cherry, hiding her face in her hands. This is what she gets for telling two teenagers about a heroic save that came with a declaration of love. Zeb declared to Kallus, to shove it in his smug face, the the Lasat he so callously called a beast was very much in love with the beauty. And he laid that smug ISB Agent out flatter than a hubcap.

"That is the corniest thing I've heard all year!" Sabine slapped a hand repeatedly to the table, howling in a fit of laughter. Her stomach was in stitches.

"Corny, yes. But it worked." She shyly slipped hair behind her ear. She has a small weakness for the noble warrior types. "Worked the first time he kissed me too." She touched her lips. That kiss was fresh in her mind. Her heart grew wings and was fluttering.

"So...um…" Sabine managed to stop laughing long enough to lean in. Her brow was wiggling menacingly. "Who kissed who this time?" She, of course, means the kiss that sealed the deal. The one that she and Hera walked in on. Katerina shrank in her seat, hands slipping in her clenching thighs. She was glowing with embarrassment. That sheepish smile made Ezra's jaw drop. "Oh my gosh! You kissed him?!" Sabine gushed behind knuckles. Katerina dropped her head, wanting her bangs to hide her red cheeks. "Go, Katerina!" Sabine nudged knuckles into her shoulder. It's official. Katerina and Zeb were gonna be mercilessly taunted for days. Feels like school all over again.

"I still don't know what you see in him." Ezra leaned to an elbow, propping his cheek to his knuckles. It boggled his tiny mind beyond comprehension. "How do you get past that ugly face?" Sabine punched him in his, throwing him to the floor. "What?! It's a legit question!"

"Did you have to ask it like that?!" Sabine scolded him.

Katerina jumped in and pulled her back by the arms. She was ready to pry him apart. She fanned the Mando, urging her to relax. Boys Ezra's age are supposed to be obnoxious. "He's not ugly at all, in my opinion. I always loved the color of his eyes." That lime green color. They light up when the moon is out. And she really loves the color of his fur. It's a lot softer than it looks. "He's different from the rest. And I always went the routes others wouldn't."

"What do you mean?" Sabine asked.

"Humans always go with other humans or humanoids. Other non human like species go with their same species, rarely outside it." She simplified, getting Sabine and Ezra on her track. "In my case, I've always been attracted to that which is seen as unconventional, different, or out of the norm." A human wanting to date a Lasat or anything of the sort was as out of the norm as it got. So Katerina has been a rebel before she even met them. Sabine and Ezra got her number patented.

"What else drew you to him?" Sabine asked genuinely intrigued. She really wanted to know what the attraction was. Ezra was trying not to puke. The lovey talk was going to kill him. Not if Sabine kills him first. "Go ahead, Riina."

"I'm not sure what else to say." She shrugged. "Zeb...was just appealing to me. As I got to know him...I liked him." Sabine urged her to run with that. Katerina was really lost as to why she was pushing this so hard. Why did it matter why she fell in love with Zeb? Then again, she was morbidly curious about this as well. What did Zeb display that drew her to him? She hasn't thought about it much. She giggled at herself at a small idea that came to mind. "Zeb is able to rise above himself and others in order to fight for what he believe in." Kallus wounded him in a way no one else would be able to recover. Zeb not only doesn't give in to the vengeance he craves, he is willing to give Kallus the shrug off when his friends need him focused. "At first he kept his guard up around me. But as we got to know one another, we both learned to drop our shields long enough to let each other in." He told her what became of his people, and she was able to tell him about the cadet. From there the strings wove themselves together, bringing them closer. "I also like him because he can handle the fact that I'm not a damsel in distress, and he doesn't expect me to be one. He can take my horse choking pride, can look past the grease I'm always covered in, and is willing to put me in my place when I get ahead of myself." Zeb isn't shy to tell her off, or remind someone not to talk with a foot in their mouth. He can lose control and then regain it with the snap of his fingers. He resembles an animal, but there is a noble man within.

"Zeb fits that bill perfectly." Sabine gave a thumbs up.

"He's still ugly." Ezra couldn't help commenting.

Katerina, with a straight face, suckerpunched him in the stomach, sending him back to the floor. "To you, Ezra. To you." She cracked her knuckles, ready to punch him again if something else really stupid falls out of that mouth of his. There's more to her admiration than that. Zeb's the one person on the team who has stood by her every step of the way. He knows about the Trooper Cadet, her redacted file, and he's slowly learning more and more about her dark past. In spite of it all, he found a way to love her. And she loves him. Granted, Zeb's opened up about his people - the incident with Kallus and his time with his family - but she can tell he's hiding something. Not that she won't force him to be forthcoming more than he has. Unlike her, his secrets don't bring chaos. "All that matters is what I think." Ezra raised a hand in surrender. He saw her point. He won't poke at her anymore. "Now how about we put Zeb and I aside," She extended a hand to him, her expression softening, "And talk about you for a second."

"What do you mean?" Ezra took her hand. His stomach hurt as he rose.

"I heard what happened on the base." She remarked softly. Ezra wet rigid. His electric blue eyes went wide in horror, his mind being flung back to that nightmare of a duel with Kanan and The Inquisitor. The Jedi Hunter had them out gunned, out numbered, and out matched. Even with those nasties who live in the shadows on their side, Ezra and Kanan didn't stand a chance. He can still see it in his head. The cold air climbing to his skin, the smell of sulfur and burnt rock from the magma pit, see The Inquisitor's glowing gold eyes and scary sharp teeth glimmering in hunger. Kanan was on the floor, defeated and about to die. Ezra...Ezra was helpless before The Inquisitor. He tried to fight back. He was thrown like a ragdoll. The Inquisitor wouldn't stop talking. He'd just go on and on about the darkside swallowing Ezra, how his friends and Master would die, and everything he loved would be destroyed. Ezra remembers being enraged. His blood boiling, his mind racing, his fingers itching to crush the life from him. But there was nothing he could do against that monster. And in his desperation...the mother of those night creatures responded to him. From there, Ezra collapsed after hearing Kanan's voice. "Hey…" Katerina broke him from his nightmare by cupping his cheek. He was muttering to himself. His fingers balling in and out from fists. Looking into her aquamarine pools calmed him down. "How are you doing?"

"I'm not sure." He shuddered. How does he describe in words how he's doing? He isn't even sure what really happened. "It felt unreal. It still does." Like a bad dream that was too vivid to comprehend. "I sometimes wake up feeling really cold...and angry...and sad." He moaned, his head falling.

"That's natural." She shook her head, wishing he didn't have to go through this at his age.

"What is?" Sabine replied, apprehensive of what was bothering Ezra. "What exactly are you two talking about?" The question was directed more to Katerina.

"There's another part to The Force known as The Dark Side." Just saying it out loud - she feared she jinxed their quiet flight through space. "It's a malefic phenomena that feeds off the dark desires and emotions of Jedi and turns them into what are known as Sith - Dark Jedi." There have been numerous cases in the past. None of which she will divulge until Ezra is emotionally prepared.

"Whoa! Am I gonna become a Sith?!" He began to panic. He knew that he got carried away. But becoming an evil Jedi?! So much for waiting for him to be emotionally prepared.

"No!" She jumped in before he got ahead of himself. She can see it wafting off him. He can't handle any stress at this point. There's too great a risk he'll tap into what he unleashed at the base. Katerina doesn't know about anyone else, but she doesn't want a volatile Jedi in Training breaking their only protection from dying in space. "The only way you become a Sith is if you let hatred govern you, and revenge be your way of life." Katerina can say without a single doubt that Ezra doesn't fit that description in the least. He's a sweet boy. "Getting upset or angry doesn't automatically qualify you. Just means you're human."

"But these feelings I'm having-" He clutched at his chest. The anger, the helplessness, the uncertainty of the next time.

"Are not unlike a scar from a nasty cut." She tilted his chin up, not tolerating him sinking in his woes. "What you're feeling is a trauma that will pass." And he'll grow even stronger from it. "Trust me, Ezra, you're far from a Sith as they get." He smield tenderly to her, slipping into a hug. "You're welcome." She hugged him tightly. Now it was Sabine's turn to be sick from the mush. Katerina punched her in the arm. It hurt her knuckles more. Sabine was armor plated, after all.

"There you are." Zeb entered the kitchen. Sabine and Ezra's impish chuckling irked him. He can hazard a guess what these three have been talking about. A sharp pain in his side stopped him in the archway. He clamped a hand at the wound her had stitched up.

"Guess we should rebandage and clean that now." Katerina proposed, meandering over to him. She gently folded his shirt up past the wound. She winced at how swollen and irritated it became in two days. "Yeah, we need to clean this again. Come on!" She urged him, escorting him back to his room. "See you two around."

"Don't make too much noise in that room!" Sabine so crudely joked. Ezra buried his face in his hand, busting up laughing. Katerina and Zeb exploded cherry red at the naughty thought. Sabine seriously had not filters with her friends. As Katerina and Zeb neared his room, Kanan came out of his. He froze on the spot, gasping aloud and plastering his back to the wall. "Kanan? You okay?"

"Ugh! Yeah, yeah! I'm fine, Katerina!" He choked on his stupidity, clearing his throat anxiously.

"Guess that makes one of you." She joked. "Ezra is still a little shaken up by what happened."

"You were talking to him?!" He practically gasped.

"We got to talking." She shrugged. Kanan balled his fingers into fists. He was nibbling on the inside of his cheek. She spoke with him. Zeb and Katerina glanced suspiciously to one another, then back at Kanan. The man was so flushed he looked ready to pass out. He just might. Can you make it anymore obvious that you're hiding something? He cursed himself. He probably can.

"Hey, uh, Katerina," A tiny bolt shot through her veins. He keeps calling her Katerina with an edge in his voice, "Do you remember if I ever took a field trip to Kamino?"

"A field trip?" To Kamino of all places. Why would anyone go there willingly? She stroked her chin pensively. "I...think so…" She trailed off, rubbing at her skull. "Yeah...it was before I was born though. I heard you went with Master Kenobi and Shaak-Tii, and other younglings. One of the younglings said you hated it."

"I did." Kanan confirmed, folding his arms. "It was boring to me. A giant lab making people didn't appeal. It grossed me out." He shivered. It still does.

"So boring that you slipped and hit your head because you weren't watching where you were going!" She laughed lightly.

Kanan gaped at her stunned. A slip...my head. That scar on the back of his head. "I...how do you know I slipped?" Like she said, she wasn't born yet. She shouldn't know things like that.

"The youngling, Kendra, told me about it. She said you were off in your own world didn't see a cannister roll under your foot." Kanan blinked blankly. In her words he was taken on a journey down the river of memories. It was blurry. But...yeah...he remembers an object under his foot. At least he remembers stepping on something hard. "He lost your balance and you hit your head on something near the ground." She folded her arms with a snide smirk. "The fact you split your head open aside, I would have paid to see your daydreaming trip you on your butt!"

That very daydreaming she was trying to rile him with aided him in ignoring the taunt. His focus solely on the scar he was rubbing. I...I remember that fall. He paled. It was so sudden. Before he was able to save himself, Kanan barely managed to turn so his back would hit the ground. He didn't notice the...the...it was a little ledge. His head smacked right on the corner. His vision was blurred, he was disoriented. He...he was bleeding. The blood! He gapsed in his mind, his eyes widening in shock. When he hit his head, he was terrified by the sight of his blood on the edge. Pieces of hair too. "That's how they did it…" He whispered almost inaudibly.

Katerina and Zeb couldn't make out what he was muttering. Her spine tingled when his eyes, contorted by this...jagged leer...scrolled up to hers. This anger was exuding from him like the stench from a corpse. But it wasn't just anger. It was...like he was staring at a stranger. "Caleb?"

"I gotta go see Hera!" He abruptly excused himself. His steps resounded like a quake. The cockpit door practically slammed behind him. Katerina hummed perturbed. She touched a hand to her chest. That hurt a little.

"Everything okay?" The pain subsided in Zeb's side. He wrapped his arms to her waist.

"I'm not sure." She touched the warm, protective arms, leaning against his chest. His eyes... "Kanan looked at me funny."

"Funny how?" He arched a brow.

"Like he didn't recognize me. As if I was a stranger." He's never looked at her like that before. Maybe when she was a baby. But never lately. "And he looked a little scared that I was talking to Ezra."

"You sure you aren't seeing things? You did take a beating." He playfully dug knuckles into her head.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." She giggled. Kanan wasn't leering at her, or treating her oddly. She's just a little worn out. She snuggled against Zeb's chest. "Don't know what I'm thinking."

"You aren't. All of those ship fumes are frying your brain."

"Bite me." She smacked the back of her palm to his head, tromping into his room

"Name the place, love." He cackled, closing the door behind him.

xxx

Hera turned from the controls at Kanan's welcomed visit to her humble corner of the ship. She was soon dismayed by his despondent sigh, and his defeated plop to the navigator's seat beside her. He clamped at his head digging his nails into the back. Hera put the ship on autopilot, and quickly went to kneel beside him. "What's wrong?" She put one hand to his cheek, the other on his lap. Kanan groaned absolutely nauseated, unable to lift his head. Hera felt ice fill her veins. "You didn't tell Zeb, did you?" Kanan shook his head. "Katerina?" He shook his head again. "Then what?" What has him on the verge of vomiting.

"I know how she was cloned. How the Kaminoans got my DNA." He responded omnously. He pulled the hairband out, letting his short hair fall. He parted the brown hairs, revealing an old scar. Hera traced the tips of her fingers to the scar, stunned by it. "I got this scar when I fell at a field trip to Kamino. My blood, my hair, was left behind. One of the Kaminoans must have scooped it up. And Katerina came into being."

"Oh my gosh." Hera sank, her head falling. She can't grasp it. She doesn't want to grasp it. This twig in her head was grown into a log that just snapped. Kanan was crumbling into decay.

Kanan wanted nothing more than to tear the cosmos apart. To destroy the ship and put an end to this pain he's feeling. He wants someone or something to bludgeon him until he forgets what he learned. To go back to when he was a big brother, and his little sister has come back into his life. "Those monsters…" He growled venomously. Those long necked bastards. "As if betraying us and turning the clones on us wasn't bad enough!" He snarled. "They...they gave me something I would call my family! After I was so sure that I was alone!" He'd rather be alone again. Be that orphan that arrived at the temple. Nothing to his name, nothing to his history - absolutely nothing to him! "DAMN THEM!" He moved Hera aside and punched his hand straight into the control panel. Wires sprouted, static flaring like mad. Hera flinched back, utterly shocked. He missed anything vital, but Katerina and Sabine were going to have a huge fit. "I hate them...I hate them all! I hope they're all rotting in Hell somewhere!"

"Kanan…" Hera kept her hands to him as he pulled his hand out. That was going to leave a mark.

"I hate this...I hate his so much!" He dug his knuckles into his skulls. Tears were running down his cheeks. "She's a clone! She's a damn clone...and yet…" She's one of them...but she's also him. She's been her own person for years, but she isn't a person at all. She's kind, brave, and loyal. But at the drop of a hat she can turn into a killer, take out him and Ezra. Katerina...Kanan...Kanan...Katerina. Everything was spinning nonstop. His head was going to come off his shoulders. "I can't...I can't do this! Not with her!"

"Can't do what?" Hera's brow furrowed.

"I can't...hate her. But I can't treat her...like before." He can never go back to the way things were before. And it angers him. "We never should have saved Tseebo."

"Don't say things like that." Hera implored him. Regardless of what has been divulged, people need saving. Even those like Tseebo. "She's still Riina, Kanan. That hasn't changed." And in her heart she knows it never will.

"She's me!" Kanan erupted, startling her. "She's me with a different anatomy!" He shot to his feet. "And for all I know, she has the same purpose as her brothers did."

A vein clenched in Hera's head. Her blood boiled over the top. "YOU'RE her brother! No one else!" She frothed at the mouth, jabbing a finger in his chest. "She hates the clones as much as you do! She'd never hurt you or Ezra!" She declared with the sweep of a hand. She inhaled hot air through her nose, willing herself back a few steps. She ogled them and before her head to toe, disgusted by what she was present to. "And if you're seriously losing faith in her," Her voice cracked in her anger. She forced herself to march for the door, "Then you'd better tell her the truth - rip off the bandage as it were - and send her back to Chandrila!" Kanan remained absolutely still, not even budging when Hera had that door slam.

Kanan collapsed back into his seat, slumping into her misery and self loathing. Send her back? She isn't some pet he adopted off the street! She's his...his...what is she now? "I…" HIs throat clenched. The tears spilled profusely. "I can't send her back." He sobbed. "I love her too much!" He loves her so much it kills him. "I love you too much...Riina." But she's a clone. How can he keep her around knowing that she can turn on them? He can't.

To be continued